Human on the Inside
by Cale Seraph
Summary: Celes thinks back on her feelings for Leo and the infusion - semi-prequel to 'Of Loves Lost'


Human on the Inside  
A Final Fantasy III story  
By Cale Seraph  
  
Final Fantasy III and all related characters are property of Squaresoft, Square Inc., etc...  
  
---  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is to clear up the feelings between Leo and Celes that I established  
in 'Of Loves Lost' as well as delve deeper into the two characters.  
  
--  
  
There she was, Celes Chere, former Imperial general, sitting and weeping like some  
child over a small thing like an earring. A small loop of thin metal with a needle on the  
end was making her cry stinging tears and making her pillow damp with them. How could that  
tiny piece of metal bring back such an ocean of memories? General Leo was the only person  
who cared for her... for a time. Now, she would never see him again. Just the stone macabre  
decoy that they had made in Thamasa for him. The thought of the epitaph alone broke the  
blonde woman into another deluge of tears.  
  
It had been her seventeenth birthday when she became a general for the Empire. The  
ceremony was beautiful, with candlelit dinner and an orchestra. Celes wondered why they  
had gone through so much trouble for her. She was, after all, just a general. She was the  
youngest one, sure, but she had never shown anything extraordinary about her. Throughout  
the ceremony, she noticed that neither Leo, nor Cid, were having a good time. She had urged  
them to, but they wouldn't listen. Something was on their minds, she knew it. What was it?  
  
As she lay strapped to the cold metal table, she knew exactly why Leo and Cid were  
so preoccupied the night before. The needle above her arm threatened with a dangerous  
glimmer as she wished she had never become a general in the first place. Now, here she was, a  
strange blue flask nearly piercing the skin of her arm and the only person nearby at all was  
Cid, staring sadly at her. A hint of understanding stood behind his eye, but aside from that,  
he could offer nothing more. As she felt the pain radiate from her wrists, she could hear Leo,  
screaming in a blind rage as her head turned weakly, looking to him as he burst into the room.  
The black had hit her as she fell unconscious.  
  
When she woke up, the beautiful face was hanging above her, looming like a guiding  
angel. Leo had been at her side since she had blacked out, as was reported by a happier Cid.  
After all apologies were made, Cid explained that Celes now had new abilities, sort of as a  
compliment to the strong fighting of General Leo, whom she would be working with on a mission.  
Most of the conversation after that was blurred, cut into unremembered pieces. The liquid was  
taking effect and her mind was beginning to fade once more.  
  
Over the next week or so, she had been made to recouperate, by resting and restraining  
from too much physical activity. She had stayed near her chambers, her only contact to the  
outside world being Loe himself. He would go out into Vector, finding out world events just  
so that he could report them back to Celes and see that smile that had seemed to fade over  
the recent days. She had begun to think about Leo and his intentions, having all the time in  
the world. Gehstahl had refused to even let her get near the training site, let alone fight,  
so she sat, hour upon hour, thinking about Leo and fabricating possibilities to his actions  
in her head. She had never felt this before, simply because she was never trained to. Since  
birth, she had been trained to fight. She couldn't even remember parents or any loving touch.  
Physical touch wasn't highly looked upon by the Empire, she knew, and therefore never explored  
the idea. She was another mindless drone for the Empire. As much as she hated to admit it,  
she knew that Leo was one, too.  
  
A week after her recovery, she receieved word from Emperor Gestahl that she and Leo were  
to go to Figaro Castle. She hadn't been told for what purpose, only that she was to approach  
the king and tell him that she was of the Empire itself. Reluctantly, she and Leo had left the  
Empire's base, on their way to Figaro. Before they could even get to the town limits, however,  
Leo had suggested they stay in the inn in Vector, groaning bits and pieces about fatigue and  
overtraining. Without much of a complaint, Celes followed his lead.  
  
That night, Leo had gone to make sure that his equipment was in working order and to do  
so, he decided to have it checked by the weapons shop. Celes had spent most of the time after  
that staring out of the window, looking up into the stars. The candle that was burning cast   
her reflection faintly, letting her see herself as the first tear fell. She hadn't experienced  
tears before that, so she hadn't known how to react. The pain in her eyes was unbearable,  
worse than any blade that could slice into her... and much deeper. She felt as though her soul  
were being torn out. No battle had been waged with this much pain, why this one action? As  
the thoughts raced through her head, Leo had reentered, and immediately, he was at her side,  
asking her why she was crying and how long she had been. Without thinking, she found herself  
burying her face into Leo's shoulder, her tears dampening his uniform.   
  
*oh, how we've come full circle...*  
  
Without much more thought, she began to ramble, her voice becoming one endless string of   
confessions; of how she'd been pining for him secretly, of how she felt less than human, of how  
she felt so much pain from her tears. When her throat was raw with harsh words rushing through  
it, she finally came to rest, her tears stopping abruptly as she could simply hear the heart  
of the general with her. It had been beating slowly at first but now, with her ear on his  
chest, she could hear it, bearing down with unmatched intensity. She could feel something  
soft on the top of her head, agitating her hair, which had already agitated itself plenty.  
She moved her head quickly, finding herself mere inches from the other general, his lips pursed  
in a kiss that graced the air, but had just been in her hair. With a burst of courage, Celes  
pushed herself forward, letting her lips find Leo's and engulf themselves in the soft flesh of  
them. Leo returned the kiss favorably, admiring the young general's movement and swimming in  
her kiss.  
  
When the two had pulled apart, they sat in a darkened silence.   
  
The candle had burnt out.  
  
-  
  
The mission had gone smoothly and neither general had uttered one word on the matter  
since then. After Leo's death, the remorse that overtook Celes was sharp. She had never   
known what that kiss had meant that night and wodnered if maybe, just possibly, Leo had felt  
the same way she had about him. She felt warm and safe with him, like fighting was completely  
unimportant; she felt human.  
  
Cid had been the other man who had cared for her, but he was gone. She had felt sadness  
for him, but her shell had already gone back up from Leo's death and the loss of her friends  
after the floating continent.  
  
Now, she had Locke. Locke Cole had given her a new reason to live. She felt the same  
security with the treasure hunter that Leo had given to her. He was different, though. Where  
Leo was proper, Locke ran his mouth. Where Leo would have declined, Locke took on every  
challenge. Where Leo had never told her what she meant to him... Locke never hesitated to  
remind her constantly.  
  
She knew Leo was never coming back... that pain was something she fought with everyday.  
But his memory remained in her, like a worn out plaything that some child wouldn't give up.  
  
He was what made her human.   



End file.
